Small class sizes. It's one of those popular phrases everyone from politicians to school principals loves to cite as a goal. And, of course, a small class size is every teacher鈥檚 dream. But why? Is the size of a child鈥檚 class really all that important? Don鈥檛 teachers just want smaller class sizes so they can do less work?
No. Teachers want small class sizes so they can do more work. Teachers鈥� hearts break daily from not being able to work as intensively with each child as they鈥檇 like. Teachers are brilliant in their ability to spread themselves thin, to make themselves available to their students, no matter how many鈥攂ut that isn鈥檛 the way they want it.
If you鈥檝e never been a teacher, you might not understand鈥攖hough if you鈥檙e a parent, you probably do. Here鈥檚 an anecdote from a Midwestern mother who wishes to remain anonymous. And although similar anecdotes abound, this one was chosen because it seems so simple.
鈥淥ur son hated anything academic, from day one. He loved to read, but anything else having to do with school, he hated. Around fifth grade, he dug in his heels and just wouldn鈥檛 do it anymore. Everything鈥攈omework, tests鈥攚as a nightmare and a huge drama. I鈥檇 see all the other kids doing their work, and I just couldn鈥檛 understand it. At conferences, the teachers would say, 鈥楬e鈥檚 a great kid, respectful, causes no trouble. He鈥檚 very bright.鈥� Yet he was failing. He was the perfect example of a kid falling through the cracks, as they say.
鈥淪o we switched him to a smaller, private school, which had really small class sizes, about ten or fifteen, sometimes even fewer. The teachers knew the situation and, because they had so few students鈥攁lthough fifteen students is still plenty鈥攖hey watched him. They had the energy and time to not let him fail. One of the sweetest of the teachers, this really kind woman, told me how she said to him the first week, 鈥榊ou are going to do your work. You might be stubborn, but I鈥檓 more 蝉迟耻产产辞谤苍!鈥�
鈥淎nd he started to do it! I鈥檓 convinced it was the small class sizes. The teachers at his old school told me they wished they were able to focus more on him, but they had a responsibility to all the other kids. And I understood. Teachers are human. And I don鈥檛 think the teachers at the private school were better teachers, necessarily鈥攖hey were merely less overwhelmed.鈥�
This story contains a few particulars that aren鈥檛 always the case in such situations鈥攏amely, the child was able to do the work, but wouldn鈥檛. This would obviously present a much different challenge than a child who wanted to do the work but couldn鈥檛. The two situations would both be extremely difficult, though each in a very different way. And no matter which scenario might seem more challenging or time-consuming, it is a fact that these and other such possibilities all require the ability to focus intently on a child.
This family is rare, obviously, to have had the resources to even consider private school as an option鈥攖hough in this case, the mother points out, it was a 鈥渟trangely affordable, small-town private school.鈥� But for most families, no matter how comparatively reasonable the tuition, there would have simply been no way.
Of course, every child鈥檚 situation is specific, and some children鈥檚 reasons for academic failure run deeper than others. And, again, teachers are human. But, maybe sometimes, a simple adjustment in class size might be all that鈥檚 needed to lead a child to academic success.
Simple adjustment? Sadly, there's nothing simple about the struggle for smaller class sizes. But never forget, the reasons teachers need smaller classes aren't really all that simple, either.